


s i n k

by Taciturn



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, Tooth Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 06:31:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11594886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taciturn/pseuds/Taciturn
Summary: Life is a long path to a goal. Drop your heavy luggage and enjoy walking with your hands empty.





	s i n k

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hypaalicious](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypaalicious/gifts).



> Welp. This happened. Merry Christmas in July.

_"If you receive a little kindness, give them a large serving."_

At the age of six, you had declared that Noctis Lucis Caelum would be your best friend for life because you were the same age as he was.

"You know, I really am a prince."

"Right, and I'm a mermaid princess," you shrugged and stuck your tongue out at the raven haired boy as you waded through the tide pools together. "Here's your crown, my _Prince,_ " you sneered, wrapping a long strand of seaweed around his head and admiring your handiwork, much to his dismay.

"But he really is..." Ignis tried to interject; however, you shut him up by throwing a sea star his way.

"And _I_ turn into a mermaid when the moon's full," you shrugged, sitting down and lazily splashing your feet in the cool water, much to Ignis' exasperation.

Three days prior, you all had been strangers. You first laid eyes on the raven haired boy while combing through your favorite tide pools. Foolishly, he had gone in without shoes and cut himself on a broken shell. Doing what any six year old child would do, you panicked and frantically searched your knapsack for something to stem the bleeding. To your dismay and your relief, you found your favorite kerchief at the bottom.

"You owe me a new one...." you grumbled more to yourself than him. You carefully waded through the pool of water towards the crying boy, all the while keeping an eye out for any urchins or broken shells. You picked up his foot to get a better look at it, wincing when he only cried harder now that a stranger was prodding at his cut. Gritting your teeth and trying your best to not let your temper get the better of you, you were not as gentle as you could have been in brushing off the sand on his foot before tying the kerchief around it to stop the bleeding. Perhaps there was a little spiteful part of you that may have tied the knot a little _too_ tight.

Not that he really noticed, considering he hadn't stopped crying since you first laid eyes on him. All your hopes and dreams of a peaceful afternoon in your favorite hiding spot were ruined by him.

_Okay? If I was like him and I got cut, what would I want?_

It only took a few brief seconds to take on the best motherly air you could muster as you sat down next to the boy and pulled him close to you for a hug. Wrapping your arms around him, you rubbed small circles on his back as he continued to hiccup and sob. _It probably doesn't hurt anymore; maybe he's scared?_ "It's okay..." you tried to reassure him as best as you could.

After what felt like an eternity, or whatever the equivalent of counting over fifty was, his crying subsided; and all that was left were the hiccups.

"Better?" you asked with hands on your hips, watching his actions closely, internally praying he wouldn't start crying again.

"Better," he muttered, wiping the last of the tears from his face.

"Good," you sighed and backed away from him a little, letting him have his space now that he had calmed down. "Are you new here? I've never seen you around before."

"I don't get to go out a lot..." he admitted sheepishly.

"Well, you're here today, so I guess I'll give you a tour of my secret hideouts! Don't tell anyone else though, okay? It wouldn't be that secret anymore if you tattled." You held out your hand, hoping he'd take you up on the offer to wander the tide pools together. As much as you enjoyed having peaceful afternoons to yourself, it was always more fun when there was someone else to explore with.

For the first time that day, you saw him smile; and he gratefully took your hand in his and pulled himself up. His eyes were still slightly bloodshot and puffy from crying; however, you could see how clear and blue they were. _Like deep water..._

You had to take a moment after he stood up to really admire how pretty his eyes were. When you noticed he was rather uncomfortable at how closely you were looking at him, you paused and instead took a second to look down at his feet. You rubbed your chin thoughtfully, mimicking what your father did whenever he was deeply pondering how to stretch the last of the salted fish your family had stocked up. You shifted back and forth, chewing your lower lip thoughtfully while looking at his injured foot. "Hmmm...."

"What? What is it?"

"You don't have any shoes. How are we going to go wandering if you don't have shoes? You're gonna get cut again."

"Oh... Yeah..." He looked like he was on the verge of tears again.

_No, no, no, no, no, not again,_ you thought, once again panicking and looking around for a solution to your problems.

"Oh! I know! Here! Take mine!" you said, pulling your sandals off your feet and handing the wet shoes to him. "I know this place like the back of my hands! I won't need them, and I'm pretty sure they'll fit you."

He took the shoes from you graciously when he realized all wasn't lost after all. To you, his expression as he struggled with the straps while he tried to secure them on his feet was the funniest thing you had seen all day; and you struggled to keep yourself from laughing at him again. "Here. Let me help..." you said, kneeling down and helping him put your shoes on. "Where did _your_ shoes go anyways? Did you come down to the beach without them?"

"No... I put them somewhere so I could get in the water, but then I got lost and I forgot where I put them."

"What were you doing? Sleeping?" you asked, sliding the last buckle in place. "There. Done," you said, standing back and admiring your handiwork. His feet were just slightly too big for your shoes, and his toes hung out the top. They weren't perfect, but they would do the job for the time being. 

 "Thank you..." he muttered, unable to look at you out of sheer embarrassment. "I'm Noctis Lucis Caelum. I'm six years old and I'm a prince."

You let out a loud laugh at his statement. "There's no way you're the prince. You look like you're the same age as me! If you're the prince, then I'm the princess of mermaids."

"No, really! I'm a prince!"

"Okay, _prince._ Keep up, because this royal tour started a long time ago!" you teased, taking off to the nearest pool while he trailed behind you.

The rest of the afternoon and early evening was spent with Noctis going from tide pool to tide pool, poking anything that looked soft with a curious finger and prodding anything that looked sharp or hard with a stick. Noctis remained relatively quiet throughout the whole time, letting you do the talking and only asking a question here or there when he couldn't identify something. You took great care to make sure that your paths were mostly clear of sharp debris. You hadn't realized how late it got until you noticed that the tide was starting to come in as the sun dipped closer to the horizon.

"I hafta go home now, Mom probably wants me to help with cooking dinner before dad comes home."

"Oh... Okay..."

You looked at Noctis' crestfallen face and pouted. "Where do you live? I can walk you home before I go."

"I---"

"Noctis! There you are! We've been looking all over for you!" a voice cried out from afar. The two of you looked up and you saw a tall, imposing man with another child in tow.

"Cor! Ignis!" Noctis grinned and ran towards the two new strangers. Realizing that you were the outsider in this situation, you idly rifled through your bag to make sure you had all your belongings before making your way home.

As you were ready to head back, you were stopped by a soft tap on your shoulder. Turning around, you were greeted by stormy green eyes behind a smart pair of glasses. Sandy hair framed a face too solemn for a child of his age; and you wondered briefly how much older, if he was even older, than you he really was.

"I am pleased to meet your acquaintance. My name is Ignis Scientia. Please accept my sincerest apologies for any inconvenience our charge has caused you." He spoke in a brilliantly beautiful accent and well practiced cadence. Part of you had the urge to look behind his ears to see if he had any gears sticking out. The way he spoke seemed so rehearsed, you were partially convinced that he was actually a robot. "We will attempt to take full responsibility for his reckless actions."

"Uh... yes?" you asked, looking at him quizzically. "I don't really get it but, okay? You should make sure he cleans up his cut."

"His cut?" he repeated.

"Yeah, when I found him, he cut his foot. You should make sure he gets it looked at so next time he comes here he won't have to borrow my shoes," you explained.

"I... I see. I... I apologize for any inconvenience that you may have experienced regardin---"

"Is he gonna come back again?"

"Pardon?"

"Noctis, can he come back again?" you repeated.

"I... S-s-suppose?" Ignis started backing away from you slightly as you planted your hands on your hips, waiting for a sufficient answer that would please you.

You automatically deemed his stuttering answer as not good enough.

"Hey! Noctis! Will you come back again? There's still more places I gotta show you!" you shouted past Ignis' shoulder, waving to him with the widest grin you could muster. Ignis seemed to be the kind of guy who was always straight laced and wouldn't let Noctis have fun. You were going to do your damnedest to ruin his day. From that moment on, you vowed to do everything your tiny hands could to make sure Ignis wouldn't get his way.

_If he's gonna ruin any of Noctis' fun, I'm gonna ruin his day right back._

"Okay!" he agreed readily at the aspect of seeing more hiding holes you had discovered. He trailed slightly behind Ignis as they left, limping slightly from the ill fitting shoes he wore and the probably irritating cut on his foot. You truly hoped that you would see him again.

Three days later, much to your delight, Noctis made another appearance; though this time, he came with Ignis in tow. Noctis had mentioned something about having Ignis around to keep an eye out on the two of you and making sure that you were safe for his training. Much to your dismay, try as you might to lose him, he always found the two of you right as you were about to do something less than safe.

With your wisdom at its finest at the age of six, you had determined that Ignis Scientia was to be your eternal mortal enemy with his cold, green stare and mechanical speech patterns.

~~~

You had just turned seven when you realized that patience was a virtue you lacked and one that Ignis had in overabundance.

"Dad says this the best place to fish!" you announced, stopping at a little end of a tiny, rocky peninsula. Ignis and Noctis followed precariously behind you as you set your pail down and made yourself as comfortable as possible on the flattest rock. You were grateful that it was still warm from being in the sun. Having a numb _and_ cold butt were not on your list of things to-do that day.  "Last time we were here, he caught a whole bucket of fish," you bragged, swinging your legs over the edge of the rock.

"I'm having a hard time believing that this would be an idea place to catch fish," Ignis countered once he and Noctis had finally caught up with you. The two of them were slightly winded from navigating the rough, unfamiliar terrain.

You shrugged and continued fiddling with the end of your fishing line. "Okay, well next time we go fishing, you go pick a place and we'll see how may fish we get _then._ "

Noctis laughed and took a seat next to you. "I don't know what kind of training Ignis goes through, but I'll bet you that he'll talk to the fish and make them swim to the spot that he picks."

You nearly had a fit of giggles at the thought of prim and proper Ignis whispering secrets to fish and sweet talking them into gathering in one place. "What would that even sound like?" you asked between laughs. "Would he just stick his face in the water and start blowing bubbles, hoping they'd listen?"

"Who knows? Maybe he'll cast a spell on them and hypnotize them to move."

"Oh! What if he starts scolding them and lectures them on their swimming posture!"

It was Noctis' turn to laugh as the ideas became more ridiculous. "He'd tell them to eat more vegetables and to follow him to this magical spot where there's a whole salad waiting for them!"

You glanced over at Ignis as another fit of giggles hit you. You noticed that he still hadn't taken a seat at that point. You also noticed his brow twitch ever so slightly in annoyance and deemed the slight reaction a victory in your favor. You mimicked the way he pushed up his glasses with a grin and stood up to see what he was doing. "Well? How _would_ you do it?"

The older boy shrugged. "It wouldn't be anything as magical as you say. It's actually a matter of researching the best location and understanding the general habits of the wildlife in this area. By studying and logically ded---"

"Okay! That's enough of a lesson for today, _Professor,_ " you interrupted. "Enough talking, more fishing. If you catch more than me today, I'll give you my title as princess of mermaids."

"Wait, but Ignis is a boy, wouldn't make him a prince instead?"

"But I'm giving _my_ title to _him_ , so it'll stay princess. Thank you." 

 You had started to moderately tolerate Ignis; however, whenever he went off on a tangent, you found it hard to follow; and it typically dampened your mood. Instead, you focused on changing the subject to keep the ambiance as positive as possible. It was summer, and you honestly didn't want to think about long words or anything related to school. Summer only lasted a few months, and you were determined to make the most of it. You rarely got to see Noctis during the school year. That and the seaside where you lived was less than a pleasant place to visit once the weather started to get cold.

To you, it was clear that Ignis was much better at school than you were along with ninety percent of the rest of Eos. The way he acted and the way he presented himself spoke volumes of a proper upbringing and a life full of big words and studying. He carried the burden of adult responsibilities before he even lived life as a child it seemed. Though, part of you also chalked it up to him being older and enjoying listening to himself talk about the things he read in some book.

You wedged your fishing rod in between a pair of rocks and decided to let the fish do their thing while you explored the craggled rock forms of the peninsula a little further. You made a makeshift basket with your top as you gathered strangely colored pebbles and shells that caught your fancy. Every now and then, you'd look back at your fishing rod to see if it was twitching. Much to your annoyance, nothing had bitten on your line.

Noctis had taken it upon himself to lay back and take a nap right on the rock while Ignis sat straight backed and staring right out into the sea. To your surprise, he was rather invested in fishing. He watched his line intensely, and any was constantly adjusting it to make sure the conditions were right for his prey.

_I swear, he can't be human. How is he not bored to death_... you wondered as you sat back down next to him. To your surprise, during the time you had spent exploring, he had nabbed two fish; and they were flopping listlessly at the bottom of the bucket you had brought.

"Wait, but how? I haven't even gotten anything yet..." you grumbled, sitting back down. You looked from the bucket to him and back at the bucket.

Ignis glanced over at you and shrugged slightly. "I guess your father was right to say this is a good place to fish."

You sniffed, looked back at your fishing rod and pulled it from the ground. "You just got a head start," you grumbled, "I'm still going to beat you."

"Of course. I'd hate to take your title away from you."

"Hmph. Just you wait, Ignis!"

You hadn't realized how bad you were at waiting until you earnestly sat down to fish. You quickly found yourself bored of sitting and waiting for the line to react. You didn't find watching the ocean any more entertaining to you considering you saw it on a regular basis. You went through a mental game of guessing how many waves would roll into the shore by the time you had your first catch. When you had counted past twenty, you were ready to call it quits and started to get restless again.

Now, you could see how Noctis could have gone and taken a nap. The sun was warm, and the ocean provided the perfect lulling background noise that matched his slow, even breathing. You didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but you realized his fair complexion wouldn't do too well with too much sun. _He's hopeless alone..._

Sighing, you stood up and made your way over to Noctis to unceremoniously drop the wide brimmed sunhat you were wearing over his sleeping face. You got nothing more than a grunt and a small involuntary twitch. "Eh, better than getting sunburned," you said before gracelessly seating yourself next to your line that _still_ didn't have a fish at the end of it. _What am I doing wrong? I've changed the bait at least four times now. How does Ignis do it?_

Again, you were rudely reminded at how bad you were at being patient as you chucked your line out again with new bait. This time, you kept on stealing side glances over at Ignis, trying to match his movements and what he was doing. You noticed how his slender fingers twitched every now and then, coaxing the bait to move and look more lifelike. You watched as he manipulated the line with the barest flutters of movement to tempt unsuspecting prey to him and reel in yet another catch.

As much as you didn't want to admit it, he was doing a much better job at this fishing thing than you were. Try as you might to match his movement and mannerisms, he seemed immaculately calculated and perfect compared to your rather crass and overly energetic actions of occasionally jerking at the line and making the bait bob up and down. You weren't one to like admitting defeat, but there was no way you would be able to catch up to his count by the end of the day.

"You're giving up?" he asked after you gave a rather earth shattering sigh when your line was still empty, and he had netted his fifth fish.

"Well, there's no point in catching up and beating you," you grumbled, "You're gonna fill the whole bucket on your own. You don't need my help. When we go home tonight, you can tell your mom and dad you're a mermaid princess now." You shrugged.

You were slightly startled when you heard Ignis laugh for the first time after you had announced your defeat. It was a delightful sound and something you wanted to hear again, often if possible. "I'm not sure if my mother and father would approve of such a title. I'm already to be the prince's royal advisor."

"Oh... Okay then..."

"I'll still tell them about today. It's rare that I get to have such a pleasant time outside of lessons and training."

"Your parents must be super strict if you think sitting all day and fishing is a nice time," you mumbled, poking at your fishing rod's slack line, your disinterest in the waiting game that came with fishing clearly showing.

"It's... nice. I get to think and listen to my own thoughts instead of having to listen to a lecture," he explained.

"Oh..." From the sound of things, he was still attending lessons and lectures even during the summer. Having a day off seemed to come few and far between for him, and you felt rather horrid for making fun of him earlier. _Quick, think of something._

"Hey, Ignis. Tell me a story," you demanded, taking the gloomy mood into your own hands and flinging it into the ocean.

"A story you say? What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"I don't care, what's your favorite one? With all the thinking that you do, I'm sure that you've got plenty of stories saved up there," you teased as you poked at his head.

"Hmm, I can't say that I have any that really come to mind..."

"Well, then come up with one. I'm sure you're smart enough to do that."

"I suppose I can do that much for you. Let's see..."

You watched as he closed his eyes to think of what to say. Again, you found yourself counting the waves cresting at the shore while you waited for him to start. He sat so still and quietly, you honestly thought he had fallen asleep after you had lost count of the waves twice.

"Uh---"

"Once upon a time, long, long ago, before Eos was named as such, there lived a beautiful mermaid princess..."

"Uh huh! Keep going!"

The rest of the day was spent listening to Ignis' soothing voice as he spun a world filled of wonder and adventure from nothing. He kept you enraptured until Noctis awoke from his nap, grumpy and hungry.  Ignis Scientia was a wizard with words, and you didn't mind losing more fishing contests if it meant you could listen to more of his stories.

~~~

You were officially eight years, three months and two and a half weeks old when you first stepped foot into the citadel.

You weren't quite sure what to make of it when Cor had knocked on your door earlier that day asking for your attendance. Seeing the rather stern man at your doorway, it wasn't surprising to you that your parents panicked. He did seem to impose a rather intimidating aura about him. Having seen Cor before, you knew he _generally_ meant no harm from what Noctis had told you before.

"Hi, Cor! Where's Noctis?" you asked, bouncing on the balls of your feet, trying to look behind him to see if Noctis was hiding.

"Noctis isn't here. Actually, we're going to go see him at his home. I asked your parents to pack a bag for an overnight trip," he explained much to your delight.

The car ride to Noctis' home was much longer than you had anticipated. Quite frankly, you weren't sure how deep into the heart of Insomnia you were after you had counted no less than fifty sky scrapers. Even through the quiet hum of the car engine, you could hear the bustle of the city outside. The seaside seemed like a barren wasteland compared to the grand city made of dark stone and stardust.

When the citadel was within sight, you gasped at the great size of the building. The fact that Cor kept driving closer and closer to it had you confused. When the front gates of the citadel were visible, it dawned on you that Noctis wasn't lying about being a prince.

_By the Six... I was wrong this whole time..._

You suddenly became much more timid at this realization. You had made fun of Noctis, poked at him, and probably hurt his feelings. The delightful thought of a comfy sleepover was quickly replaced by the thought of standing before Noctis and his father, having to explain your actions to them. _Astrals above, I'm going to get killed here. They're gonna find out all the bad things I did to Noctis and then they're gonna kill me for them._  

Cor was ever the gentleman, letting you out of the car once it came to a full stop in front of the citadel. You didn't realize how terrified you were until you reached over to grab your knapsack, and your hands could barely feel the weight of the bag in your hands. You gripped onto the strap as hard as you could to keep your hands from trembling anymore than they were at that moment.

You were relieved, to say the least, to see Ignis' familiar face at the door once Cor had left you. You thought for sure you were going to die alone. At least having Ignis witness your death was a small comfort. You did your best to put up a brave face and a bright smile, though judging from Ignis' strained expression and from what you could catch in the reflection of his glasses, you had given him more of a grimace than a smile. You could tell from the way he pressed his lips into a thin line and the way his shoulders shook, he was doing his best not to laugh at you.

"Follow me," he said, after a brief moment of silence, "Noctis is waiting."

Seeing Ignis in this fashion and setting, you were quite in awe with how well he fit into the environment. His stance, posture, stride, even his blinking seemed to be honed and practiced to be precise and articulated perfectly to the atmosphere. It was as if he himself was a part of the citadel. You found it hard to follow his wider strides as the two of you walked down the long corridors. His shoes clicked at a perfect tempo as he walked ahead, while your footsteps seemed to echo too loudly against the walls in an unseemly fashion.

You wanted to call out to him to wait for you, but a part of you kept you from doing so. It was as if the solemn air of the citadel itself made you want to stay quiet and do your best to keep up. The sound of your footsteps was too loud, too out of place here. Though you were going to fall behind, you found yourself tiptoeing behind Ignis, barely daring to breath too much for fear of disturbing the peace.

It didn't take Ignis too long to pause and look back when he noticed a change in your walking pace. He caught you in mid creep as you gingerly placed the ball of your foot down for the next step. Your eyes glued onto the marble floors, silently willing them to stay quiet as you slowly made your way to your destination.

"What... are you doing?"

His voice startled you, making you yelp and lose your balance causing you to gracelessly onto the ground. The contents of your bag scattered themselves about. _Astrals above, I'm going to die. Ignis is going to be the one who kills me. I haven't been here for five minutes and I've made a mess of myself._ You panicked and scrambled to gather your belongings, shoving them back into your bag.

"Are you nervous?" he asked, kneeling beside you to help gather your belongings. "I can understand if the situation is rather intimidating..."

"No, why would I be nervous? I'm completely fine. What makes you think I'm nervous? I have no reason to be nervous," you muttered to yourself, closing your bag once all your belongings had been retrieved.

"Well, for one thing, you haven't been able to look me straight in the eye and insult me as you usually do since you came here."

"Whatever, Noctis is waiting. Don't you know it's rude to keep the prince waiting?"

You could see the smallest trace of a smile on his lips as he stood up and waited for you to follow suit. As he turned to lead you further down the long hallway, you could have sworn you had heard him whisper, "much better." However, you brushed the thought aside and chalked it up to your overactive imagination having a field day.

~~~

" You weren't kidding when you said you were a prince..." You were struggling to keep your breathing even when you finally _finally_ got to Noctis' room. _I thought that corridor would never end. How do people get from one place to another in a day in here?_

"I didn't have a reason to lie," Noctis mumbled from his seat. He shifted uncomfortably fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"Okay, and I had no reason to believe that a kid my age, crying because he cut his foot was actually the crowned prince," you grumbled as you set your bag down. You immediately noticed the wheelchair Noctis was in; however, you couldn't bring yourself to ask about it or his time in Tenebrae.

"Fair enough."

The silence between the three of you felt stifling. As if your nervousness propagated itself, you did the only thing you could think of to cut the tension; and that was making a fool of yourself with any and all questions that came to mind.

"So, like, what does a prince do all the time in a giant castle like this?" you asked. "Like, how many rooms are there? Who lives here? What do all these people do? Does everything echo in the hallways? How do you not go crazy when you're running? Have you played hide-and-seek with other people yet? Will that get you in trouble? How does a prince get in trouble? Is that even possible?" You got to a point where your nervousness took over and you kept spewing questions to keep yourself from crying for your mother and wanting to go home. Regardless of your best efforts, the tears started falling; and you could hear your voice crack as you continued to ramble.

To your surprise, Noctis burst out laughing at your rapid fire questions.

"How about we start by making you less freaked out about visiting," he suggested after his laughter died down. You were glad to see that he was still able to laugh despite the seemingly solemn and gloomy atmosphere. It was his turn to calm you down from your nervous fretting.

"Okay, and how do you manage that?"

"Wanna see this book I got in Tenebrae?"

"Yeah!"

The rest of the day was spent cooing over his thick picture book filled with constellations and stars. The two of you spent the hours pointing out small details in the illustrations and scrawling your own renditions of the elaborate drawings on a separate sheet of paper. The tension and anxiety melted away when you came to accept that even if Noctis was the prince, he was first and foremost your friend that you were most grateful for.

~~~

You had realized the predicament you were in when it was much too late. When the lights were turned off and the quiet of night finally settled around you, you noticed the your most precious stuffed tonberry was no where near you. It wasn't as if you were afraid of the dark; however, having that small piece of home and comfort near you in a strange place would have definitely let you sleep easier.

You laid on the bedroll, staring at the ceiling, trying to will yourself to sleep; but it wasn't working. Counting chocobos hopping a fence did nothing to calm your thoughts either. You found yourself tossing and turning while the time passed and as Noctis slept like the dead in his bed.

"Can't sleep?" Ignis' voice came as a quiet whisper from the other side of the room. You sat up from your spot and looked around to see if you could spot him.  _Did I wake him up? I didn't think I was making that much noise..._   Squinting against the darkness, you could make out his faint outline and noticed he was indeed awake. 

"Not really..." you confessed. "I guess I'm not used to sleeping in strange places...." It wasn't a complete lie, but you also weren't about to tell him that you couldn't sleep without a stuffed animal though. You had had enough embarrassment for the day.

"Is there something on your mind? Is it too dark? Are you uncomfortable?"

"No, I'm fine sleeping in the dark. I'm just... not used to sleeping _here,_ " you explained, resting your back against Noctis' bed frame.

You heard him shuffle about for a brief moment. Straining your eyes and staring at the spot where you thought he was at, you were startled, to say the least, when you found him next to you a moment later, settling down to sit down next to you. _How in the name of the Astrals did he move in the dark so quietly?_

"Anything you want to talk about?" he asked, settling down next to you.

"What's there to talk about? I'm just... Having a hard time falling asleep..." you reasoned. "It's not every day you get whisked to a castle to have a play date and sleepover with the prince and his future royal advisor..."

Ignis let out a low chuckle. "Well, I guess it has been quite an eventful day for you, hasn't it."

"Yeah..."

You let the silence between the two of you linger for a moment, focusing on the darkness around you and hoping it would lull you to sleep eventually.

"Hey Ignis, will you tell me a story?"

"I don't see why that would be a problem...Once upon a time..."

"Hey Ignis?"

"Hm?"

"Can I hold your hand until I fall asleep? I don't have TonTon with me an---" Try as you might, you couldn't quite finish your sentence while you stifled a yawn.

"Of course," He murmured, taking your hand into his before going into his story again. "Once upon a time, long, long ago, they say where there is light, the shadows lurk and fear reigns. But, by the blade of one, brave golden knight, all of mankind was given hope..."

You didn't quite remember what the story was about since you fell asleep quite quickly after he started his tale. What you did remember vividly was how warm his hand was and how comforting it felt as he rubbed small circles on the back of your palm while he spoke of a world made from his own imagination.

When you woke up, you were pleasantly greeted with the warmth of Ignis’ hand still around yours and the softest, most gentle smile on his face.

_I should get him to tell me stories more_. You thought, admiring how beautiful the morning was.

~~~

At the age of thirteen, you witnessed first hand what envy felt like when Ignis Scientia could butcher a fish better than you.

What was originally supposed to be a day playing and fishing was ruined by temperamental summer storms. You had barely reeled in your first catch of the day when dark storm clouds swept in without much notice. At first, you wanted to ignore it, hoping they would blow over without actually doing anything; however, after the first few fat raindrops came down, you knew it was time to seek shelter or look like drowned rats for the rest of the day. The three of you barely made it back to your home before the rain really started to come down.

"Well, that was close," you sighed in relief and swiftly closed the door after a loud crack of thunder sounded, making you jump slightly. "Glad we're not out there for any of _that_."

"Yeah. Nice place you've got here," Noctis commented, already making himself at home and peering at all the decor.

"Well, it's no castle--"

"Come on, you should know me well enough by now to know I don't give a damn. Just because I'm a prince doesn't mean I can't appreciate someone else's home. Oh hey, what's this? This is pretty cool," Noctis said, picking up one of the trinkets you had brought home from your many excursions. "It looks like a coin, but it's not like any money I've ever seen before..."

You peered over his shoulder to get a better look at what he was holding onto and grinned when you saw that he had picked up one of your prized treasures from the beach. "Yeah. I found that a while back. It's cool, isn't it? I'd like to think it's part of a big stash of these things at the bottom of the ocean. Sometimes, when the sun's super bright, you can hold it up and see the sun shine through it!" you explained excitedly, taking the coin in your hand and mimicking the pose you would strike. "When that happens, you can see the bird that's carved on here really clear! I have no idea what it’s made of, it’s like, a gem or something! It's super cool!"

"I'll have to come back when the weather's nice to see that for myself then," Noctis chuckled and flopped himself onto the couch to play on his phone. "How long do you think the storm will last?"

"Hopefully not too long. You know how summer thunderstorms are." You shrugged. "I'd say, make yourself comfortable, but it looks like you're fine without any prompting," you teased. "Mom and dad are visiting grandma today, so you don't have to worry about anyone freaking out."

"Well, I wasn't going to worry in the first place."

"Of course not," you muttered, turning your attention back to the bucket with the few fish the three of you did manage to catch before the weather had taken a turn for the worse. "I'm gonna go and get these cleaned out so they don't go bad," you announced, taking the pail and heading towards the kitchen.

"You shouldn't have to dirty your hands on such a menial task," Ignis chided, taking the bucket of fish from your hands. "I'll take care of everything from here."

"Nu uh! You forget, my dad's a fisherman. I can clean a fish just as good as any adult. I've been doing since I was little anyways."

"Just because you've been doing it since you were young does not mean that I can't help you."

"You're in _my_ house so it should go by _our_ house rules. And anyways, you guys are guests. I can't have guests doing the housework."

Noctis let out a laugh from the corner of the couch he was reclining in. "Let it go, Ignis. You can't win this one."

Ignis let out a resigned sigh. "Fine. But at least let me watch. I feel like this would be a good learning experience."

"Fair enough."

You led Ignis back to the kitchen and pulled out the small boning knife that fit your hand the best from the drawer. You dumped the contents of the bucket and sighed looking at the meager catches. _Well, better than starving I guess..._

"So, first thing you gotta do is gut the thing. Because the insides can make the fish go bad super fast," you said, puncturing the stomach of one of fish and dragging the cut down the body. Using your fingers to coax the organs out of the body before rinsing it out. To you, it seemed like a normal, almost every day task, the mortified look on Ignis' face told you he hadn't expected butchery to be so gruesome.

"Is it always like that?" he breathed, eyes wide and pupils dilated slightly.

"Uh... yeah? I mean, that's what cooking's like. Didn't you say you were learning how to cook for Noct?"

"Yes, but... I have only dabbled in baking. This is different."

"Yeah, this is about as different from baking as it gets. You wanna learn? There's another fish in here and you can follow me. You don't have to if you're squeamish."

"No, no, I'd like to try this. Can I use your knife?"

"Uh... no? This is _my_ knife. Dad gave it to me when he taught me how to do this," you said, lovingly rubbing the handle of the knife with your thumb. "I have an extra one you can have though!" you exclaimed, remembering the one you had received as a gift from a family member for your birthday.

"Are you sure? I would hate to take something from you."

"You're not really taking anything away if I'm _giving_ it to you, right?"

"Well, if you insist... It's a rather... odd gift though."

"Well, if you're going to just use it for cooking then I don't mind. Grandma always said, a knife can only bring happiness when used in cooking," you explained sagely before beginning your demonstration. "Alright, so you wanna grab the fish like this, and you wanna just stick it right up in there and go all the way down," showing Ignis the motion before actually doing it so he had an idea of what he was doing.

You had to admit, for someone who was just exceptionally uncomfortable about you dismembering a fish, Ignis was learning quite quickly and taking your lesson in stride. Once the three fish were completely cleaned on the inside, you moved to showing him how to behead and fillet it. This was the part that you enjoyed the most. You had a satisfied grin on your face as your knife cut cleanly through the bones, making a chain of chimes as your blade slid down the side of the fish.

"See? It's easy. Now you try it." 

If you hadn't seen first hand how nervous he was before your lesson, you could have sworn Ignis had been bluffing about being scared about butchery. He handled his knife with confidence and grace, matching the cuts you made with the surety of someone who had cut up hundreds of fish in their lifetime. By the time his knife made the last cut, you were thoroughly impressed and more than a little envious on how much neater his fillets had come out compared to yours.

_Maybe my knife was dull..._

"G-good job... wow... you're a pro at this..." you said, straining to keep your voice positive. "Is there anything that you _can't_ do?"

"A great number of things. I can't control the weather, I can't make Noctis eat his vegetables, and I can't get over how utterly _unpleasant_ the feeling of fish guts are."

You laughed at his shudder when he emphasized how much he detested gutting the fish. "You'll get used to it."

"When I do, you'll be the first to know about it."

"I'll hold you to that."

"It's a promise then."

The rest of the evening was spent lecturing Ignis in the hundred and one ways to prepare seafood while he took copious notes for future reference. For once, you knew more about something than he did, and you could feel your pride swell like the raging, stormy sea outside.

_Maybe it should rain more often when they visit. It_ _’_ _s nice like this_ _…_ _just the two of us_ _…_

~~~

When you had turned sixteen and two thirds, you may have developed an inkling of feelings past a general animosity for Ignis.

Summer months meant seeing Noctis and Ignis more often at the beach.

Most of the time, it was a race to see who could find the strangest thing in the tide pools. Sometimes, it was fishing for dinner to bring back home. Rarely, it was time to play on the shores and chase the waves as they came crashing in. Typically, the tide pools where you first met kept your interest far better than the sandy stretches of beach. Still, it was nice for a change of pace to walk barefoot along the warm sand, your pockets filled with pretty shells and stones you'd find along the shore.

Days like this, Noctis would float in the water listlessly, enjoying the gentle rocking of the waves as he drifted in and out of consciousness. You always made a point of keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't float too far off. Though, with Ignis around, that wasn't too hard. That left you with plenty of time to yourself to enjoy the warm sand beneath your feet and to dig holes.

It never was about building castles or mounds that interested you when you were on the shore. It was about using your hands to dig the deepest hole you could muster. The feel of the wet sand underneath your fingers as you dug gave you a gleeful sort of thrill. Times like these, you'd get elbow deep in digging your hole, enjoying the sting of sand beneath your fingernails while the sun beat mercilessly on your back. Sometimes, you would find a long buried shell or trinket while digging; but really, you just enjoyed the feeling of moving sand around with your hands.

"You know, you should probably cover up your holes once you're done. It wouldn't do if someone tripped on them," Ignis commented once you were about five holes in and working on your sixth.

"Well, I'd like to think that people who come to this beach have good enough vision to avoid giant holes in the ground," you shrugged. You sat back from your current project, stretching your arm a bit and resting your back. You had lost track of how long it had been since you had started digging and hadn't realized how sore your muscles actually were. "And anyways, they'll fill right back up when the tide comes in."

"I'm glad that you have the foresight to know that they'll be covered up, but you'll get burnt if you stay out in the sun much longer."

"I'll be fine! I never get sunburned. I just get.... crispy."

"Too much sun isn't good for you. You have to look out for your own well being."

"I'm _fine_ , Ignis. We haven't even--- Ahh! Ignis! What are you doing!?"

Any argument you had was swiftly cut off as he easily picked you up by your waist, hauled you over to the water and gracelessly dumped you into it without a second thought. As impressive as it was that he had picked you up without a care, you were more overcome with the feeling of rage with his rather crude method of getting you to not get sunburned. You struggled for a moment in the water to gain your balance; and when you came to the surface sputtering and coughing, you were ready to fight Ignis Scientia for being an insensitive jackass.

"Your shoulders were getting rather red. I'm simply helping you cool down."

You could have sworn there was the barest trace of a smirk on his face as you glared at him. "You could have just told me."

"I did, and you didn't want to listen to me. So I took matters into my own hands."

_Literally._

"You could have still given me a warning," you grumbled.

He looked annoyingly impeccable, knee deep in water, staring into the distance to make sure Noctis hadn't floated too far off. His hair was only slightly tussled from the sea breeze and the occasional dip into the water he would take. It was rather aggravating how matter-of-fact and straight laced he was taking, what was supposed to be, a relaxing day at the beach. If you weren’t already peeved at him, you would have loved to take a longer moment to admire his austere stature and handsome features. However, the rage that was already in you from being unceremoniously thrown into the water washed over you like a wave.

"Hey Ignis!"

"Hm---MRrrjghho?!"

Any reply he had planned was swiftly knocked out of him as you tackled him into the water. _Stop looking so perfect all the damned time. It's not fair to mediocre people like me._

His flustered expression and frantic search for his glasses, which you had graciously snatched off his face right as he hit the water, were well worth whatever retaliation he could come up with after your outburst. "Revenge is a dish best served chilled," you teased, holding his glasses hostage and sloshing your way back to the sandy shore as fast as you could.

"Indeed."

_How the fu---_

Even your thoughts were cut short when Ignis seemed to appear magically beside you; and again, his arms were around your waist to throw you back into the ocean. You clutched onto his glasses for dear life, knowing if they were to be lost at sea, you would most probably lose your friendship with him. "Not fair!" you accused, "You have longer legs!"

"Yeah, and he's also got military training," Noctis provided, having stopped his happy floating time to see what sort of ruckus you had started.

You pouted when you realized how utterly defeated you were. You held up Ignis' glasses as the white flag of surrender and noticed again the smirk on his face when he took the glasses back from you. "You shouldn't pick fights you know you won't win," he lectured, pressing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Ignis. I'm going to wipe that smug ass attitude off your face if it's the last thing I do. It's not becoming of a Royal Advisor to be a jerk."

"I'm not in a position at this time to have to worry about the proper decorum involved with being a Royal Advisor. As Noctis has decreed, today, I am relaxing at the beach."

"Oh my god, Noctis, where the hell did you get this guy from and can you return him?"

"I ask myself that almost every day," the prince shrugged, trudging through the water and back towards where you had stashed your shoes and towels. "What time is it? How much longer can we stay out?"

"Well, judging by the sun's position, I'd say it's about four in the afternoon, give or take half an hour. We should have quite a bit of time left before we have to head back for the day."

"I'm gonna go and get something to drink. You guys want anything?"

"Soda! Any flavor as long as it's cold!"

"I'll be fine without anything. Would you like for me to go in your stead?"

"No worries, Iggy, I'm not so pampered that I need you to go get drinks for me," he scoffed before heading off in the direction of the nearest drink stand.

"Iggy?" you repeated after Noctis was out of earshot. "You're really okay with that as a nickname?" You crossed your arms across your chest and raised an eyebrow at the rather whimsical sounding nickname given to the rather strict young man in front of you.

"I'm not in control of what nicknames I'm given," he mumbled, not quite meeting your eyes. You could make out the barest trace of a blush across his cheeks.

"Mind if I call you that?" you asked, leaning in towards him and looking up at his face. You were determined to engrave his flustered face in your mind until your dying breath. It wasn't often Ignis showed expression; and when he did, it was rather a treat.

"I-If that's what you want, I suppose that's fine."

"Sounds great, _Iggy,_ " you teased, emphasizing his nickname and relishing in how it fell from your lips. The syllables felt comfortable and inviting, much less formal and stifling like his full name.

"And what about you? I hardly think it's fair that you're going around and calling us nicknames while you don't have one yourself."

"I don't need one. I'm fine the way I am."

"No, no, I insist."

"Fine then. What do you want to call me instead."

"Hmm... How about, Princess?"

"Ignis!" You could feel your face flush red, and it wasn’t from sunburn.

"Well, I mean, you declared yourself to be one the first time you met Noctis, so I don't think that's really a stretch of the imagination."

"That was ten years ago! You're not supposed to remember things like that!"

"Well, it's my duty to recall small details. You never know when they'll come in handy."

You wanted to melt into the water and disappear from your embarrassment. To think that your brash, childish declarations from years and years ago would be used against you like this. It wasn't fair.

"Well then, _Princess_. I do suggest we head back, I see Noctis has returned with your drink."

" _Iggy_ , I swear, you call me that in front of Noct, and I will personally make sure that I'll make the rest of your life a living hell. Gods, this is so embarrassing."

"Oh, _Princess_. I wouldn't think of doing such a thing. I'll keep it just between the two of us," he said, giving you a rather mischievous wink.

For the rest of the day, you found it hard to look Ignis in the eye and did everything in your power to enjoy the sunshine and sea breeze without having to converse with him. You had already tired out your arms earlier from digging holes; so you resorted to your other hobby at the beach, chasing the gulls and sand pipers until your lungs ached and your legs burned from running. Every now and then, you'd attempt to corral the birds to fly in the direction of the boys; but it never ended up the way you planned.

You kept your game up until the sun started to sink past the horizon, setting the sea aflame. At that point, you were too tired to do much else other than sit on the beach towel you had laid out and watch the sun set until it was time for the relaxed day to end. Somewhere in between counting the birds on the shore and the waves that lapped at their tiny little feet, you had fallen asleep thanks to how tired you were and how comforting the summer sun was against your skin.

The scent of sea salt and verbena gently woke you from your slumber. You groaned slightly when you realized how sore you were, though the pain was quickly forgotten when you realized you were piggy backing on Ignis.

"We're almost back to your home. You can rest a little longer if you'd like."

As much as you wanted to protest, Ignis was warm and you were tired. Unconsciously, you buried your head against the crook of his neck to get comfortable and fell quickly back to sleep. As you drifted back to sleep to the rhythm of his footsteps, you could have sworn you heard Ignis murmur something into your ear, but brushed it aside as part of your imagination. Either way, it was nice to think that he cared for you enough to say it.

_"Sweet dreams, Princess."_

_~~~~_

You had just turned eighteen years, five months and twenty days when you realized Ignis Scientia had the most beautiful hands in all of Eos.

Having lived by the water for your whole life, you would have thought that the sea life and you would have reached an understanding at this point. You had pretty much understood the routines and the reactions most animals would have whenever a human approached; and through the years, you had adapted from experience to respect the life around you to maintain respect in return.

This was not the case with jellyfish.

What was supposed to be a harmless dip turned into a rather foul afternoon for you. The only warning you had was a feel of something cool brush against you before a mess of thin, tangled tentacles wrapped around your leg and continuously shot burning pain through it.

All the splashing and screaming in the world didn't seem to make the pain better in any way. The thin tendrils clung onto you even as you ripped the jellyfish off of you and flung it as far as you could. You couldn't see very well through your tears and dragged yourself back to where you had laid out your towels for the day.

As calmly as you took most of your cuts and scrapes at the beach, this was in a pain category all on its own. The burning sensation felt like it spread up your leg and was relentless on your frazzled nerves. You frantically searched around for something, anything cool to help with the burning. Through your panic, you had barely registered Ignis having come to your side. His hands were already on your affected leg and gently tending to the red marks starting to appear.

"Well, that's a rather nasty sting you've got."

"That much I figured. What else is new. Is water wet?"

"Well, if you have enough energy to sass me, then I guess you're not in dire need of medical attention."

"Iggy, I'm going to die, aren't I?" As much as you hated to show any sort of worry in your voice, it honestly was the worst pain you had ever been in; and you weren't quite sure you were going to make it past this scenario.

"Shhh, it's okay. Just focus for a second. Let me see your leg," he explained calmly, reaching over to touch at the quickly swelling marks on your skin. "Just focus on listening to me for a bit and not the pain."

"O-Okay..." you sniffled, wincing at the contact whenever he pressed on a sensitive spot.

"Once upon a time, there was a castle, a great grand castle atop the tallest mountain in Eos. No one knew when it was built, nor who lived in it. But, some say, you can hear the sound of violins playing at night..."

His fingers continued to press and pick away at any remaining tentacles on your leg while his voice took you to a land filled with stained glass creatures dancing in a castle built from his imagination. The pain that was there quickly disappeared as he continued his tale and pulled a small potion from one of the bags you had set aside. You sighed in relief when you felt his deft fingers spreading the cooling liquid along the swollen red trails left from the jellyfish.

"Better?" he asked after he had made sure you were no longer crying, and the marks had significantly gotten less red and puffy.

"Mhmm. Much better..."

"That's good," he murmured, gently patting your head. "You did so well."

"Thank you. You saved my life."

He let out a gentle laugh. "If something as small as that was going to kill you I would have hauled you to the nearest medical facility already. I can’t do much about the scarring though.”

_The scarring, I can deal with. What I can_ _’_ _t deal with is how you_ _’_ _re actually a Saint to me._

"Hey, Ignis?"

"Yes?"

"What happens at the end of that story? You didn't finish."

"Ah, well, you see... Once the evil King and Bishop were defeated by the Shining Emperor, the Queen was rather lonely, so she searched high and low for a worthy suitor," he continued, settling down next to you. You watched as he formed a mound of sand and started to shape it.

"So did she ever find anyone?"

"Ah... Yes, she did, but he was in love with another person..."

You were entranced as he continued the story of heartbreak and betrayal while his hands worked at the mound to build the castle he spoke of at the beginning. Honestly, you lost track of what the story was even about. Instead, your interest was more focused on the way his hands moved and seemed to create something from nothing, just like his words.

"And so, they lived happily ever after atop the grand castle," he finished as soon as he put the finishing touches on the sand castle he built.

"You're magical, you know that?" you said after a moment of awed silence from admiring his work.

"Well, I _do_ know magic, I'm not sure how it's relevant to this conversation though."

"Iggy... Nevermind. Tell me another story though?"

"Ah, sorry Princess, but I'm fresh out of them. Why don't you tell me one for a change."

"Hey! That's not fair, don't put me on the spot like that!" you exclaimed, jabbing at him with your elbow.

"You've put me on the spot a few times now, so I'd like to think it's quite fair," he reasoned coolly, knowing he was right.

"Ugh, fine. Just... Give me a moment to think."

"Moment given."

You let the silence fall between the two of you, watching the sunlight dance off the ripples of the sea. _Well, here goes nothing_. "So, once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a man and a woman, deeply in love. But one day, on the day of their anniversary, the man disappeared from the woman's life and memory...."

"Hmm, well, now that's a fascinating concept..." he quipped before you quickly shut down any additional interruptions from your spontaneous story.

"It wasn't until years and years later, did they meet up again. But by that time he had changed a lot and all she had were vague memories of the time she spent with someone very dear..."

For the first time in your life, you found out what it felt like to have the undivided attention of Ignis Scientia and you wanted to keep that feeling for the rest of your life.

_Maybe I should come up with stories more often..._

_~~~~_

You were twenty when you understood the pain of heartbreak.

News of Noctis' engagement to the Oracle spread fast. It was honestly all you heard about in your day to day life. You found yourself glancing over to the calendar in your living room, counting the days to summer, realizing this one would be the loneliest one you'd ever have. Having seen your friends every year was a comforting routine you had fallen into, and knowing that they would be leaving right as the seasons changed tugged at your heartstrings.

You didn't want to imagine how empty your summers would be without them. Just the mere thought of loneliness during the long days was enough to put you into a constantly dazed state. It was as if you were moving in a dream with no end in sight. Though you rather liked to take life slowly to enjoy the little moments, time seemed to drag on slower and slower as the date approached.

_It's not fair. They're leaving in a week and summer starts in two._

You were surprised to hear a soft knock at your door a few days prior to when Noctis was to make his leave. Opening the door, you were surprised to see your friends there.

"Well, this is a surprise," you said, stepping to the side to let them in.

"Come on now, you really think I'd leave without at least saying good bye to the person that didn't believe I was actually a prince for the first two years of our friendship?"

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope. And I'll never forget the kindness you showed me when I was a crying brat," Noctis said, a small smile on his face as he reached out to you and pressed something into your hand.

Looking down, you gasped when you recognized the embroidered edges and soft texture of your favorite kerchief from the first time you met. Any blood spots had been cleaned from it, but the printed fabric had become worn and frail with age. "You still have this?" you breathed, rubbing your finger though the soft fabric and reminiscing about your first, fateful meeting.

"Yeah, I just... Never had a good time to give it back to you," he said sheepishly, rubbing the nape of his neck. "I figured it was a kinda 'now or never' thing with the whole marriage and all."

"Noctis Lucis Caelum. You are the worst at returning things," you said, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. You had thought for sure the scrap piece of fabric had been long discarded since you had given it up.

"Yeah, well. You have it back now..." he mumbled, "Just... stay out of trouble while I'm gone, okay?"

For the first time since you heard about his engagement, you laughed. " _Me?_ Stay out of trouble? If the Oracle knows what I know about you, then I should be telling you to keep your nose out of things. Bring her back and I'll have a nice chat about all of your embarrassing stories."

"Astrals, you never change," he chuckled, "Well, hopefully all your stories won't scare her off."

"I'll make some up for you to do that then," you jested in return.

"My liege..." Ignis warned, bringing the friendly banter to a full stop.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, we're kind of on a time crunch. I gotta get back before it's too late."

"Oh... Okay."

"I'll wait in the car, Specs! Don't take too long with your good byes!"

"I'll be right behind you," he replied stoically.

You waited until you heard Noctis close the car door outside. The silence between you and Ignis felt heavy, much heavier than the feeling of knowing that your friends might not come back. You fidgeted with the kerchief in your hands, not daring to say anything. You worried that if you were to start talking, all the words you had held back would spill; and the tears wouldn't stop coming.

What felt like an eternity of silence, Ignis simply offered a slight bow before making his way to the door.

_Wait, no. Not like this. I have so much to tell you. No, no, no, no, no."_

 "You'll come back, won't you?" you asked, your voice cracking and the back of your throat burned from holding back your tears. "You'll come back again? During the summer?"

He paused and turned from his spot. Though the sun was setting and casting long shadows which obscured your face somewhat, you didn't doubt he could see the tears that started to silently fall from your eyes. _Dammit, I didn't think I was going to cry._

"Of course," he reassured, stepping forward to wipe away a tear with his thumb.

"And when you do, it'll be like old times, we'll run through the beach and chase the birds there until we're tired."

"Yes. We'll do that." His hands cupped your face, again, wiping away your tears which at this point refused to stop falling.

"And we'll sit and watch the sunset and stay out too late."

"Mmhm, that sounds like a lovely time."

"You'll come home back to the castle and live life peacefully like all the happy stories that you used to tell me."

"My dear, you're the only castle and happy ending I'll ever need."

 

                            


End file.
